Among Internet TV phone services is a call service provided by Skype Technologies S.A. which utilizes P2P. This service enables free TV phone calls using personal computers with a camera throughout the world, and it is expected that its users will increase in the future.
On the other hand, digital TV broadcast capable of three-dimensional (3D) display has been started and 3D-compatible TV receivers and personal computers are now spreading. In the following, to be consistent with the term “3D,” the term “two-dimensional display” (ordinary display) will be abbreviated as 2D display.
Among 3D display systems are a system in which switching is made between 2D image information and 3D image information that are transmitted from a Web server are displayed by a receiving personal computer while the manner of display is switched. Since an originating apparatus such as the Web server adds respective identifiers to 2D image information and 3D image information, a receiving apparatus such as the receiving personal computer can properly display a content in which 2D image information and 3D image information are mixed with each other while switching the manner of display efficiently.
The 3D display system of the above-mentioned related-art is based on a technology of the receiving apparatus. No consideration is given to what kind of video an originating TV receiver should send to a receiving TV receiver depending on whether or not the receiving TV receiver is in a 3D video displayable state, in providing an Internet TV phone service as mentioned above.